Cuisines Taking Delhi By Storm

Delhi is a hub for all things new and innovative. Delhi is rising with its theatre groups, new and funky restaurants, and many other youth oriented activities.

One can fine some of the best restaurant in Delhi, officially becoming a nirvana for many foodies. Every month a new eatery opens and that’s not all, many international chains are also opening their branch here in Delhi considering the high demand of high end food.

What with rise in malls and cinemas in Saket, green park and GK and other areas of Delhi, a lot of eateries are opening up with new and funky ideas of presenting their vision. Each is trying to one up the other in terms of food, ambience and some even go on to bringing in different cuisines.

Here are a few such fast becoming popular cuisines that people just cannot get enough of:

1. Mexican:
Owing to its similarity in the Indian cuisine with its spices and different colours, a lot of Delhiites gravitate towards the Mexican cuisine. The more American and European dishes are more bland and Indians like their food to be a little spicy and filled with taste.

2. Tibetan:
There is high demand for authentic Tibetan food, and many eateries are more than happy enough to provide it. In the past few years many eateries have opened up which offer true and authentic Tibetan food to its customers at all ranges from cheap to ultra expensive.

3. Rajasthani:
People are slowly gravitating towards this all time favorite cuisine owing to its abundance of taste and spice. The people are slowly waking up to realise the amazing quality of authentic Rajasthani food. The Laal Maas is one of the most popular dishes from the Rajasthani menu.

The Best Anniversary Gift For My Brother!

It was my elder brother’s 10th marriage anniversary. We’ve always surprised each other on occasions like birthdays, and anniversaries. Since this is their 10th I decided to go a bit out of ordinary. I am settled in Delhi for about five years now. My brother too, once lived here while he was pursuing his graduation and this is where he met his wife. I have heard him recollect so many events about their love story which blossomed in this city. Sadly, he barely comes to Delhi now as he is settled with his wife and kid in our home town, Bangalore.

I invited my brother and sister-in law to Delhi and after a lot of coaxing and convincing; they took out time out their busy schedule and they agreed to pay a visit. Their arrival was on the night before their anniversary. My husband and I went to receive them at the airport and after the initial greetings; we led them to a car which was not ours. We kept their son with us though, who happily came with his beloved aunt! I booked for a suite in a luxury hotel for them and arranged for a dinner in one of the best restaurants in Delhi the following night.

The hotel I booked for them was in close proximity to the area where their college is. No wonder they were elated to walk down the memory lane after so many years. I sent them to a movie in one of the cinemas in Saket where they used to go while they were dating. They were short of words out of joy and I was glad when they said this was their best anniversary gift ever! The last day of their stay we all had a grand dinner together and their happiness was evident.

Sure, all these arrangements were a bit heavy on pocket, but I realized that cherished memories are the best part of someone’s life and one should never lose an opportunity to celebrate it, re-visit it.

SALE- CATCHING ATTENTION SINCE FOREVER

If you ask delhiites about the best place to spend a day out, they instantly publicize Saket! I think Saket has everything to make a day fun- multiple shopping malls, a fair number of peaceful forts, various public parks and a large number of restaurants and food joints.

While the restaurants of Saket are known for their variety and ambience, the cinemas in saket are among the halls providing the best of the screens. The Sundays are literally packed with the audience and the halls are generally seen displaying “houseful” boards and notices.

While Saket remains the favorite of a number of Delhiites, including me, there are several other places to shop in delhi, which are not typically shopping malls but lure the people with their display of variety of items and their ever going “SALE”. Some of these shopping places won’t even wait for the change in season to provide “off-season” sales. Let’s look at some of the interesting ideas of “sale” that these shops utilize constantly.

•    50% off: I can’t think of a lady whose head doesn’t get turned by a “50% off” board! Most of the shops use this technique, no matter what season it is, to increase their sales of clothes and garments.


•    Buy 1 Get 1: This is another type of trick to trap the women out there into buy two things at a time, because they just won’t let go of this special opportunity of getting two things at the price of one. What a luck!


•    Buy 2 get 1: Technically, this is a better strategy than buy 1 get 2 for gaining profit. If you know math, the percentage gain in this case is higher than the former case, and surprisingly this tricks has the ability to generate a sudden requirement of three things!


Basically, the huge “SALE” board does the magic, even if the actual calculation says you spent just as much you do without a sale!

STREET SHOPPING

Who doesn’t like shopping? I mean doesn’t the idea of spending money on clothes and accessories sounds exciting? Delhi has a number of malls to offer a wide range of clothing, footwear and makeup for girls. While counting the most popular malls of Delhi, Select Citywalk is on top, showcasing multiple brands and variants. Although roaming around in Shopping malls and trying a dozen things out before deciding what to buy is interesting, street shopping has its own perks. Not only does it save a lot of money, it makes shopping really interesting as you get to bargain with the sellers and the two-way convincing process is quite funny.

If you’re a college goer and you literally plan the expenditure of your pocket money, there are a number of places to shop in delhi wherein you can get clothes and bags at really reasonable prices. Here, let’s take a look.

•    Janpath: Situated near the Connaught Place metro station, Janpath has a number of small local stalls. You can find latest fashion goods all decorated pompously in attractive colors that just cannot be missed.

•    Dilli Haat: It is more like a traditional market with small roof cottages and gives the feel of a village. The market showcases handicrafts, traditional kurtis for women, traditional earrings and wooden showpieces.

•    Chandni Chowk: Situated from hundreds of years, this place has narrow valleys containing a number of small congested shops. Although the shops are small, they contain millions of things. Ladies often come to this place for wedding shopping of lehengas and suits.

•    Sarojini Nagar: This I believe is the cheapest place possible as it sells really cheap designer materials- clothes and accessories.

•    Lajpat Nagar: This market, although quite hectic, gives an interesting glimpse of Indian culture.  It is abuzz with middle class Indian shoppers for its famous Indian kurti tops and Salwar Kameez.

And don’t worry, you don’t mandatorily have to be a college goer to go shopping at these interesting markets. They welcome all with open arms.

COFFEE IS HEROIC

I don’t trust people who don’t like coffee. Like really! Who doesn’t love coffee? Cafes in delhi and other metropolitan cities serve coffee combining it with different flavors and making it even more attractive. Morning coffees or night coffees, they all are welcome. And why wouldn’t they be, when they provide health benefits in addition to deliciousness. Here’s a list of health benefits of coffee that make it a perfect beverage.

• Coffee burns fat: - Caffeine is one of the very few natural substances that burn fat. Now since the main ingredient of coffee is caffeine, coffee is quite effective in burning extra fat and amplifying the metabolism rate. Studies have shown that coffee can boost the metabolism rate by 3-11%. So if you’re the one thinks all day long about the fat you have gained, go grab a cup of coffee and let it be your handy gym!

• Coffee lowers risk of type 2 diabetes: -We often hear about people suffering from type 2 diabetes and number of deaths caused due to diabetes is increasing rapidly. Several observational studies have shown that the coffee drinkers have a lower risk of type2 diabetes as compared to the non-coffee drinkers. Great! That means I will not die out of diabetes.

• Coffee fights depressions and make you happier: - Heartbreaks or bad exam results, there are a lot of day to day happenings that give us pain to an extent that makes us feel like there’s no way out to live a happy life. To combat with such mental sufferings and depressions, a cup of coffee works in wondrous ways. Coffee makes you happy. For me, the best restaurant in delhi is one which serves complimentary coffee with every meal we order. Wouldn’t it be great way of spreading happiness?

With so many health benefits, coffee is the perfect hero which blends healthiness with tastiness.

A Child’s Birthday Celebration

Birthdays are one of the most special occasions for a child. Children have utmost craze for birthdays and though subdued, it persists in their older years as well. This day brings on a sheer delight that is displayed on their faces. Birthdays have this magical charm that has affected children of all ages and parents also try to make it memorable for them. I got the opportunity to relive my childhood memories as I got the chance to observe an eight year old child’s birthday party in Saket, at one of the best malls there

Further, children were rushing in and out of the kids play zone in New Delhi mall, as if the place was their playground. I was waiting for a friend and was more than happy to spend my time observing the zeal and celebration around. The birthday girl needed no introduction as she was happily clad in the prettiest dress around along with a little tiara. But it wasn’t these accessories that distinguished her from the rest; rather it was the sheer delight that painted ‘The Birthday Girl’ all over her face. She was the celebrity around, for that day; and the place’s ambience contributed to her princess like stature. The elegant interiors that are usually aptly ornamented with seasons decorative were decorated with red all over it as it was February. This gave me the impression as if the entire place is decorated especially for her; and I suppose she believed the same.

The party was being hosted in the kids play zone in New Delhi mall, which are well equipped with games and play stations to occupy a child’s attention. The children were all so delighted and the little hostess was happily entertaining everyone, while her mother was arranging the pile of gifts. I was reminded of myself as I saw the girl was stealing a peek at those every once in a while, she was probably wondering about their contents. I actually enjoyed that wait while watching that birthday party in Saket. The happy clamor around took me to a different world altogether. It recalled the sweet memories from my childhood; and while observing those children I realized that as adults we have complicated our lives so much that in the act of being mature we do not allow ourselves the simple pleasures of life.      

To Delhi, With Love

It feels great to be back to the city where you spent your college life. After all it stands as a witness to all those madness and crazy days! Who doesn’t like to reminisce those honey colored days? Well I am fortunate enough to be back in Delhi shortly after my marriage and me and my husband plan to settle here for a while. After a stay in our hometown (we belong to the same hometown) for about a couple of years, fate brought us back to place we first met that too within a month of our marriage! Needless to say we both love this city and we chose to stay in Saket which would not only be close to our workplaces but because it’s a familiar place to both of us.

We were classmates and our common hang out place was PVR Saket complex. We have uncountable memories here! The walks, the movies the gossip sessions and the crazy photo sessions! Ah we revisit those days each and every time we pay a visit to PVR Saket.

The interesting fact is, we are still regular visitor to a café in Delhi which is close and we love it as much as we loved it back then, in fact this is the place where my husband once confessed his feelings for me. This café remains a special for both of us! What’s funny the manager still recognizes us!

Apart from all these, we have reunited with a lot of friends here who we missed badly during our exile from Delhi. Although life has taken a different turn and would do so eventually, these are the things which help us connect to our innocent carefree days which no other memory can beat. It is like first love, no one really forget it!